What a difference a month makes.

Alright, so it's 12:45 am....on my birthday technically, August 1st and I have just wrapped up an awesome month in Mary Kay.  Compared to last month I blew this one out of the water.  And the best part is that I'm just getting started.  Our unit is changing and molding into something truly amazing and honestly started out with a change in my attitude and activity.  I decided to make a plan of what to accomplish....get on-Target for $300,000 club and we did it!!! Share this career with many, many women and we did that.  We are all fired up to make things happen in our unit and I am so proud of the new women that have come on board and the seasoned consultants who have made commitments to make a change in their business. 
If I wasn't so tired I would go into detail but the major shift for me was that if I really want anything worth having in life, my financial independence, a truly flexibly career and to be surrounded with people of integrity and to find other like minded women who want a business for the same reason I need to work really hard...not just some days...but ALL days and the best part is that I did and I still didn't miss a beat with my kid's activities and my family commitments.  My social calender is pretty lacking but the best part is that in Mary Kay I feel like I'm socializing all the time and I get to do it with some of my best girlfriends.  I hope that  you all know that things can change in a matter of weeks with a determined mine, a plan and then being willing to go to work no matter what, I mean no matter what, whether you have sick kids, financial issues, long term illness in the family, crisis and even death.  All of these factors are a part of life and absolutely deserve due attention but they can't consume you so much that you allow them to dictate every move and emotion you make...if you did that it would be paralyzing.  This month has been such a growing experience for me personally and professionally and while I won't bog you down with details I could have allowed my personal life to negatively influence my professional life but I made a choice and I sincerely hope that you all do the same too!

"What the Most Successful People do before Breakfast"

I have literally been filling up each of my hours with something useful for me and that has been so rewarding.  This doesn't mean that I am working constantly but it does mean that I fill each hour with family time, personal time, spiritual time or work time.  I don't find myself procrastinating as much.....the key is as much...I'm still working on it.  Yesterday I got 4 whole hours to do work and it was amazing what I got done.  As I learn to be even more productive and delegate properly I will be even more productive.
I have been reading this book titled, "What Successful People Do before Breakfast" by Laura Vanderkam.  I sure hope I'm spelling that correctly.  I was listening to this Million Dollar hotline, put on by extremely successful daughter's of National Sales Directors.  They have of course seen success each day as they grew up and how lucky are they to watch those positive habits!  One of the Directors mentioned this book.  While I have 'wanted' to get up early an be productive because I knew it was more time efficient than expecting to get things done at the end of the day after events and being exhausted I still have had major difficulty with that.  Well, what Vanderkam talks about in her books is that the one common thread of very successful people is what they do before breakfast....they wake up early in the morning and exercise, meditate, have a healthy breakfast and basically prepare themselves spiritually, mentally, physically and believe it or not emotionally for the day.  When you are centered and prepared you aren't wasting your day playing catch up and you learn the importance of being productive and NOT surfing the net, wasting time or texting....You understand the value.  I for one, as a mother, can see the emotional importance of waking up early so that I can spend time cleaning my house and doing things that I know while bug me later because I will be looking at what isn't done, getting frustrated and irritated and then being in a hurry because things aren't where they are supposed to be.  Thus I get really frustrated, take it out on the kids with being short and not so loving which of course affects them and then we have set the tone for the rest of the day. 
Now, I'm not going to kid myself and think from here on out I'm going to wake up at 5am and believe me that is a personal goal, but I will tell you that I am going to wake up earlier than I have.  So, this morning I woke up at 6:30am.  I will tell you I got more done with my house by 8am then I have in the last couple of days.  I had the focused time, the energy but the knowledge that I would be more productive if I did it which encouraged me to get it done.  After I write this blog I am going to go for a walk and listen to the Million Dollar Hotline, get ready for the day and be off to Charlotte's morning softball game and feel much more accomplished than if I would have woken up at 8:30/8:45 and rushed to get the morning going and get to softball barely in time. 
6:30a.m is no 5am but it's awesome to think how much more productive I'll be when I wake up at 5am  Tomorrow I'm going to to 6:15a.m. and I also think I'm going to put my phone in the living room, not right next to my bed so that I have to get up!!!! (That's probably not novel to most of  you but to me it is!)

The funny thing is that this whole concept of waking up early was what Mary Kay Ash referred to as the 5 O'Clock Club.  That woman was a single mother of 3 children and yet she got it all done....not because she was super woman, but because she woke up early in the morning and was productive, allowing her work her business and still have balance in the home (not perfection mind you but balance).....so, if a single mother of 3 in the 50's can get up at 5am and run her own business (she hadn't started Mary Kay yet but she was working in direct sales...which is essentially owning your own business) there is absolutely no reason why I can't go to bed at earlier and skip out on The Big C, Mad Men or an other great TV show so I can wake up earlier to be more productive, thus helping me reach my business goals that much quicker.  I mean really, how lame does it sound that I can't reach a goal because the shows I was watching were just too good to miss!

It's amazing what happens when you do what you say you are going to do!

The last few days have been incredible for me.  I have been working my business they way it was intended.  I have been calling those referrals I said I was so scared to call.  One gal game to an event and we already had a sharing appointment and she wants to get going on becoming a consultant.  I called women from those referrals and some said yes, some said no and some said they would call back (of course they didn't but that's ok!).  For me the victory was just getting over myself and doing the work that I am supposed to do. I did some awesome preprofiling for a party on Thursday which may not have been awesome in sales but I have 2 sharing appointments and one referral booked with a sharing appointment.  In fact I get to meet with a gal who speaks Spanish and I LOVE to use my Spanish,especially when it comes to supporting women and helping them towards their dreams.  I have been holding appointments, working when I can and still putting my family as a priority and myself mind you.  It feels good to work and do what I say I'm going to do instead of finding reason why I can't or procrastinate.  I'm soooooo over that.  I know that if I just keep doing the work the results will come.  I have made a decision to Gold Medal this month with 5 new personal recruits and get to work with shows, sharing appointments, and bookings. 
Yesterday was a great day too.  It was one of those perfect days where everyone was on time, the appointments all held, we had great recruiting prospects at a Grand Opening and I still got home and was able to make dinner for my family, enjoy a walk and even helped Charlotte learn how to ride a bike and then we watch a movie.  TO me that is a perfect day and it all started off with being mindful and grateful for what I have.  Thank you God for all the blessings in my life and for also allowing me to fall many, many times and while my learning curve is apparently HUGE, I think I have got it now!
I am going to enjoy these moments because I know there will tough ones ahead but I KNOW I will get through them and get on my feet, dust myself off and go to work.

Just a quick note!

Today has simply been awesome... Details to come!

I OFFICIALLY HAVE A NEW WEBSITE!!!!

I am so excited.  I officially have a new website for our unit and any other women who want to come to our page to get inspiration, education and motivation. It is www.bellmontBOLD.com.
I have been looking forward to this and if it weren't for my Senior Sales Director gently guiding me towards doing this and for my website designer Shani who had a deadline I would have procrastinated!  It just makes me feel better to have something that has all the documents my consultants need without having to individually emailing them the information.
Now off to a booking blitz. A solid 2 hours without my kids and husband and I'm going to do some booking.  I'm not going to lie I am tempted to procrastinate and have ALWAYS been afraid of calling referrals but I"m going to do it anyways!!!! I NEED bookings like no other!  Looking forward to sharing my results! Cheer me on:)

Sometimes you just have to get back on the horse!

So...we are now into a full work week in Mary Kay.  Last week was filled with family events, a little break I needed and getting set up officially for our unit goals and growth.  I don't know if any of you ever feel defeated but last week I was also feeling that.  It is so true that what we think about we bring about but if what we think about isn't dealt with and is just kept inside it can be so overwhelming that it paralyzes us.  While I have had some major successes for myself in my business in the last couple of weeks I have still had that underlying feeling of "I"m not where I want to be." "I'm not good enough."  "Maybe I should change jobs."....basically I was doing way more thinking than action and more complaining than filling my head with positivity.  I was making a choice...often to look at the glass half empty.  So, I went to my Senior Director's house on Sunday to do some bookings and it turned out to be a dump session about my business.  This is why I have found it is so important to talk to those who are Senior to you in  your line of work and not those who are at your same level or lower.  It's not because they don't have great advice or aren't worthy of giving it but they haven't been where  you have been and my Senior Director has.  She did a great job a listening and not commiserating.  She was compassionate and empathized but also she helped me figure out a concrete plan of action.  It made me feel soooo much better.  I needed to vent...to the right person...not my friends, mom or husband...to my Senior Sales Director.  I now know what to do and know that if I choose not to take action that's my choice but I will be where I am because of a reflection of my choice to work and the activity not because of anything else.  So...yesterday I started off the week great with a positive attitude.  I would like to say I got up early like I am hoping for but I didn't.  I got up a little earlier today than yesterday and my hope is that I can get up consistently by 5am every morning and in bed by 10pm.  But you know the one common thread that very successful people have?  They all wake up at the exact time early in the morning and they do it consistently.  They don't make excuses they just do it because they are more productive.  They exercises, get their day ready, they do non Income Producing Activity during hours that are not income producing hours and a lot do personal readings and journaling.  So...I am going to make a goal to get up earlier each day. SO, tomorrow, I will wake up at 6:30am and stick to to...it's not 5:30am but it's a heck of a lot better than 8:30am! I have also been listening to this Million Dollar Sales Director hot line each morning.  This helps me get reved up from those woman who are where I want to be and puts me on that positive track.  The goal is also 1 name a day and 1 booking.  If I just do those consistent things I will be on the right track.  So, I wish I could say....i will have no more emotional stunting for the month...but I can't guarantee that but I do know that for the next 21 days I will wake up earlier, I will fill my mind with positivity, I will get 1 name a day and I will get 1 booking a day.  I would guess that my emotional up and downs will be less frequent though!!!

But I did it anyways....

Do you ever have one of those mornings you wish you could do over???? Well... Tuesday was definitely like that for me. Nothing went right and it wasn't work related. It also turned out this challenge I made with my Sales Director friend, which was not to include my kids, included them. To get things started off strong this new Seminar Year I challenged her to a 'warm chatter '  duel:)... The first to 5 at the mall bought the other a coffee. Normally I would have cancelled the morning plans to do this because bringing the kids would have been less than ideal... however, I knew this was really important to her because she prepared herself so I decided... I'm just going to bring the kids and get it done. I put my best face on, didn't make the rest of the day a reflection of the morning. I just did it anyways... And you know what?... I got 6 names, won the contest and had a free coffee and I know that I could have never done this with any other job. Instead of allowing my emotions to control me. I took control of my emotions and followed through with my commitment. I'm so glad I did. Perseverance is so important and so is not making excuses. Lots of people have crazy and even crappy mornings and they continue with their day and ladies and gents I am no exception!!! So, when you are on the verge of defeat just pull those big girl pants up and do it anyways!

HIT THE GROUND RUNNING....In heels that is!

So...tomorrow is my first official day to get my a*# in gear.  So I am now going to claim my official goals for the next year.  I may have posted earlier about my goals...honestly I don't remember but here's the deal I do need to make sure my goals are much bigger than I have have achieved but they have to believable to me.  So, here they are:

Goal 1: Earn my pink Cadillac
Goal 2: Build to 125 unit members
Goal 3: Achieve the $300,000 Unit Retail Sales Unit Club
Goal 4: Achieve the Queens Court of Personal Sales with $36,000 person sales
Goal 5: Achieve the Queens Court of Sharing with 24 new personal teammembers
Goal 6: Stop caring about how other people perceive my business
Goal 7: Stomp on my fear and always seize opportunities immediately
Goal 8: HAVE FUN
Goal 9: NEVER GIVE UP!!!!
Goal 10: WHEN I FELL LIKE GIVING UP CALL SOMEONE I BELIEVE IN AND CHEER HER ON LIKE NEVER BEFORE UNTIL I BELIEVE AGAIN!!!!

Tomorrow my first mission is to make that goal poaster and plaster that cadillac around my house AND get 5 new names AND call 5 referrals (I am so chicken with referals) and to just get these things done no matter what!!!!